The Waratahs have it tough. Being the big brother of Australian Super Rugby means that every other state loves to hate them.
The local derbies always bring a certain amount of animosity, but when it’s against New South Wales it goes to another level.
Usually this unifies the supporter base, but in New South Wales, the people who hate the Waratahs most are the Waratahs’ fans.
The defining moment this season for the star-studded Tahs was the loss at home to the Force. While it was a tough contest they were convincingly beaten up front by a team it was tipped they’d obliterate.
Although they made amends for the loss last Friday, that defeat to the Force brought back something that everyone involved in the Waratahs feared: the boos from their own supporters.
There is an argument that the reaction was justified – that New South Wales played without any heart or flair. It seemed like the Waratahs expected to win just by turning up.
The lack of spark, the disregard for running rugby and the incessant kicking all culminated in the home crowd turning their backs on the Tahs.
Although they’ve gotten back into the winner’s circle there are still rumblings from fans and critics that the Waratahs aren’t playing attractive rugby.
This criticism raises an interesting question: who do the Waratahs play for?
In light of last year’s fan forum, it appears that the Waratahs should be playing all their rugby for their supporters.
This is not an outrageous claim as those are the people who turn up and pay their money, which keeps the club afloat.
If all they aimed to be is entertaining, the Waratahs would be playing non-stop attacking football, never go for the penalty kick and every pass would be a flick pass. But then, they wouldn’t win.
Alternatively, if the Waratahs were playing to keep the club afloat they should be playing for their sponsors, who would want to see a victorious team no matter how the played.
They would play a tight 10-man game that would definitely turn away every fan that hasn’t already left.
The Waratahs shouldn’t play for these two groups. They should be playing for themselves.
The Waratahs, and other teams in the Super Rugby competition, often confuse their role to be only entertainers or profit-makers, and although these are important they should never be their primary focus.
Australian sport is a competitive market and rugby needs to be entertaining and attractive to draw in the crowds. But by only focusing on entertaining, they neglect to play for each other which is essential in any team sport.
The Brumbies are a team playing well together, for the right reasons. Last year the squad crumbled from what appeared to be internal disunity.
This year, however the Brumbies have a self-belief that comes from playing for themselves. The Waratahs and other teams would do well to learn from this.
The crowd reactions at Allianz Stadium occur not because the crowd weren’t entertained but because they knew the Waratahs weren’t a team.
The diehards that still turn out for a Sydney Super Rugby clash expect more, and rightly so.
If the Waratahs remember why they started playing footy – because it was great to go out and win with your mates – and not consider themselves clowns in a circus then they’ll race up the Australian Conference table.
A crowd loves to be entertained but what they love more is seeing their team unified.
sixo_clock
Roar Guru
Cheers Gary, To all those who disagreed with my comments above I would like to point out that my ire is directed toward the management and not the club nor the players. To be happy with the status quo is really merely putting your head in the sand hoping the bad things will just go away. Of course we hold them to a higher standard, they were in the Super 6 and every reincarnation since but lack the determination to recruit, train and analyse their way into the winner's circle.
Chris
Guest
Yeah? Actually look at the last decade. The Reds and Brumbies both won a title. The Tahs haven't. The Tahs have won 72 games in the last decade to the Brumbies 69. Hardly "by a mile".
PeterK
Guest
I do not mind Elsom coming back from the bench. However Mumm should be out of the 22. ALL he is reasonable at is managing the linout and restarts. Note reasonable NOT GREAT. The lineout under Mumm does not steal many lineouts just wins a reasonable amount of own ball. So I would have Douglas and S.Timani starts, L.Timani at 6 and Palu at 8. L.Timani needs more game time to be able to get match fit enough to last 80. So run him until he runs out of puff. On the bench Elsom and Dennis and Jenkins. Dennis goes on for L.Timani at 60 mins (or earlier if he runs out of puff). Elsom goes on for Palu at 60 mins. Sure no lock cover, if either S.Timani or Douglas needs to come off then Elsom can go to lock and Jenkins to 6. Game against Reebels is the perfect time to try this. Foley is so conservative, he overvalues Mumm and his lineout work.
Stanley Grella
Guest
What a load of BS. The NS media talks the Tahs up, as it destroys and rides them into the ground every year as well. There are very few teams in the world that Elsom wouldn't slot back into, he has been training for months, not one contact session. The perception that the Tahs are somehow of a different standard to every other team is complete bollocks.
Stanley Grella
Guest
What's a positive winning culture? Because if it's about winning the Tahs are the standout Australian team if the last decade by a mile.
Blinky Bill of Bellingen
Guest
Sadly I have to agree. :( Last night I watched Rocky on FoxSports Rugby Club as I was wondering about his return and 'who would pay the price' (as in who would be dumped to make way for him). When asked about his return this weekend, he felt that he was as good as he can get with rehab and just needs some time on the field now. AND coming off the bench seems appropriate. Let me say that I actually don't mind Rocky but the entire issue of recruiting him with injuries AND making him Captain seemed unprofessional and strange (bordering on weird) and still does. And now we're learning that he's coming off the bench with no game time. I'm left wondering who at the Tahs thinks this is the best course of action for the team & the fans? The bench just seems to be hitting it's straps and making a real impact when they come on. Will Rocky? Are we so confident of knocking over the woeful Rebels that this is deemed the best time to run Rocky into form? Sheesh .... to me it seems a bit of a gamble. But hey what do I know?
jameswm
Guest
Bloody shocking. It'll mean the Tahs either dump LTimani, who's been going great and has a huge future somewhere, out of the 22, or dump Jono Jenkins (creating a squad imbalance) just to accommodate Rocky. Surely after that long out, he needs at least one game of club footy. It's not like he's had a niggle and only missed a game or two.
jameswm
Guest
Here are some relevant stats Most Penalties Conceded 1. Derick Minnie (Lions) 14 1. Matthew Hodgson (Force) 14 3. Werner Kruger (Bulls) 13 4. Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks) 11 4. Coenrad Oosthuizen (Cheetahs) 11 4. Dean Mumm (Waratahs) 11 4. Salesi Ma'afu (Force) 11 Most Turnovers Conceded 1. Corey Flynn (Crusaders) 20 2. Adriaan Strauss (Cheetahs) 18 2. Callie Visagie (Lions) 18 2. Dean Mumm (Waratahs) 18 Note - Hodgson rates high here, but he's also 9th in lineouts won (!), 15th in offloads (!), 4th in pick and drives, 10th in most tackles made and 11th in most runs, the only Aussie in the top 15. Does that mean we don't run enough, or we share it round more? Most Missed Tackles 1. Rob Horne (Waratahs) 24 2. Willem Alberts (Sharks) 23 3. Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes) 22 4. Peter Grant (Stormers) 21 5. Willie Le Roux (Cheetahs) 20 6. James O'Connor (Rebels) 19 6. Nick Phipps (Rebels) 19 8. Brett Sheehan (Force) 18 Most Pilfers (I wonder if this includes penalties forced by pilfering? I don't think so, but it should) 1. David Pocock (Force) 7 2. Liam Gill (Reds) 6 3. Michael Hooper (Brumbies) 5 Most Tackles Made 1. Heinrich Brussow (Cheetahs) 122 2. Marcell Coetzee (Sharks) 120 3. David Pocock (Force) 118 4. Matt Todd (Crusaders) 112 5. Luke Jones (Rebels) 109 Pocock's an ox in the stats. Top 3 in pilfers, most tackles made, most runs and most pick and drives, but not rating in missed tackles, turnovers conceded etc, with his only negative stat being rated 14th in pealties conceded, an occupation risk for him.
formeropenside
Guest
Most successful team without a Super Title, I assume you mean.
jameswm
Guest
BBOB they're mainly just dumb penalties. The guy rates only in negative stats, so I just don't get how he keeps his position. To top it off, when Timani comes on, he replaces Douglas, and Mumm plays the full 80!!
jameswm
Guest
Yeah I thoroughly agree that the Tahs are held to a higher standard. They've been by far the most successful Aussie team over the last 7 years, but because they haven't won a title, they're considered losers. I do genuinely think though that there is a coaching and entitlement issue there.
jameswm
Guest
Dean Mumm has been pretty good? By what standards? Not runs, tackles, linebreaks, or even lineouts. I don't see how he's so great at lineouts anyway. As if Timani couldn't win the same number of them. He's almost top of the comp in turnovers and penalties conceded though. Also, he voluntarily tackles himself behind the advantage line when doing hitups, and takes the ball stationary always. He does no dominant tackles or clearouts. And then there's those times when we're near the try line, and he either loses it, gets it stripped or is held up off the ground, forcing a turnover. These come at crucial times. In short, he avoids contact and is unphysical, not exactly what you want from a lock. He has had two of the worst games this year I've seen from any lock in Super rugby for years. His continued selection is incredible. I wonder what games the Tahs' coaches watch sometimes. Exactly how poorly does he have to play to get dropped? Will my criticism of Mumm is neither lazy nor clueless. Have a look at the stats yourself. I actually watch games (sometimes with a pen and paper) and lately, with a 3rd eye on Mumm. Go back and watch some replays of the games. I think you're the one not watching him closely enough. I wouldn't worry about the Timani boys coming off the bench if they played more than 15-20 minutes. If they had that big an impact in 15 minutes, imagine what the impact would be like over 60? If they're lacking match fitness (hard to get it playing 15 minutes a week), then start them and sub them when they run out of gas. It just doesn't compute. Why don't you watch Mumm closely tomorrow, or replay it and just watch him?
Blinky Bill of Bellingen
Guest
I'm going to reveal my ignorance here. However, is Mum's role at the Tahs something that would logically risk him being penalised more often? Just a thought. Perhaps like others have indicated he is simply a penalty magnet. But why is that? Is he too slow, too lazy, poor technique, just dumb or what? What ever it is surely a coach should be able to help him with it. No?
Drop kick
Guest
Well said Will, some intelligent analysis of the Tahs in your posts below too. In all likelihood Tahs will be on top of the Aust conference by Sunday morning, wonder how the interstate haters will respond to that. Can't wait to read Spiros comments!
Markus
Guest
'how exactly do the Waratahs have "the biggest player base to pick from"?' NSW has more registered players than any other state. 'Any Australian province can pick players from the NSW Club Competition' Yes, but the Waratahs have the advantage of only having to walk down the road to see which talented players are coming through the club ranks. And if they are too lazy to even do that (they generally are), their long-established connections to the traditional powerhouse feeder schools will ensure the school coaches will let them know. 'And how do they have “more money”?' They are located in the biggest city in the nation. Which ensures not just the biggest potential fanbase, but the sponsorship opportunities available all around them dwarf those in every other state, including Melbourne/Victoria. "They’ve been running at a loss for years, and have been bailed out by the ARU more than once" Rank amateurism on behalf of the Waratahs board and NSWRU does not mean the above opportunities are not there.
Go_the_Wannabe's
Guest
It's in their culture, that sticks out a mile. They play for their individual paychecks. If they played for their team mates and the Tah tribe rather than themselves they might turn it around. Hasn't changed in 16 years so I can't se it changing anytime soon.
Justin
Guest
Cant find the stats link but his discipline is poor, he turns it over way too much and doesnt have any impact. His lineouts are good and thats about it...
Justin
Guest
Speaking of regular footy - how bad is it that Elsom gets a run after one full training session? Its staggering that the Tahs have such little regard for the comp. He needs a month of club footy to hit his straps...
Will Sinclair
Guest
I have to disagree with some of your points. Dean Mumm has not been "woeful" this year (he seems to attract a lot of the same lazy, clueless criticism as Tom Carter), he has been pretty good. And, while I agree that the Timani boys have been great off the bench, you have to remember that they just returned from playing in Japan, and so may not have the match fitness required to start games. Apart from that, their impact off the bench has been winning games (they were instrumental against the Sharks and Force), so why would you look to change that? Unfortunately, I reckon you're right about Rob Horne, who has been very disappointing. But there are some signs there that he's starting to come good, so I think Foley is OK to stick with him.
Will Sinclair
Guest
Markus - how exactly do the Waratahs have "the biggest player base to pick from"? It's not State of Origin. Any Australian province can pick players from the NSW Club Competition (and do). And how do they have "more money"? They've been running at a loss for years, and have been bailed out by the ARU more than once (as have the Reds). It's lazy generalisations like these that ensure the Tahs' critics have so little credibility.